On Anniversary of Oak Hill Fires, Tips (And an App) on Wildfire Awareness

The scene in an Oak Hill neighborhood during 2011's wildfire outbreak.

Photo by Crystal Chavez for KUT News

Fires broke out in Southwest Austin’s Oak Hill neighborhood on April 17, 2011. Now, as the city prepares for the one year anniversary of the outbreak, it's releasing tools encouraging citizens to stay vigilant for future fires – saying it’s not a question of “if,” but “when.”

The city has published a document, "Ready, Set, Go!” with tips on wildfire safety.

The title itself is a nod to three steps for dealing with encroaching wildfires: being “ready” by removing combustible materials like stray branches and tall grass from around homes; being “set” with an evacuation plan and an emergency kit; and being ready to “go” by evacuating well in advance of any fire. Those tips and several others can be found in a downloadable document on the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management webpage.

Developers are also working on a mobile application to rapidly share wildfire updates. While the app hasn’t been completed yet, developers with Code for America (which was recently in Austin developing similar civic-minded apps) are currently “developing a mobile application that will provide information about wildfire preparedness and notifications.”

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Smoke from the Oak Hill brush fire can be seen from the highway. Photo by KUT's Crystal Chavez.

8:30 p.m. Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management have updated the list of areas that will remain evacuated overnight. Here is a map of the affected area. Austin Community College says classes will run on normal schedule at the Pinnacle campus, located near the area of today's brush fire.